US officials say they have not yet attacked the bus, over concerns about inflicting civilian casualties, but haven’t ruled out doing so in the future if the buses try to take an alternate route. They did confirm attacks on ISIS vehicles they said were dispatched to try to help direct the convoy to safety.

The US seems to be determined to keep the evacuation convoy from advancing, warning them against taking any alternate routes. It’s not clear, however, that leaving busloads of civilians stranded in the desert is a real option in the long-term.

Brave ISIS fighters. Unarmed convoy. Lebanese sources report that the people on the buses are also sick and wounded, who were expected to get medical help upon arrival. There are old people, children and babies that need food and water.

From what information is available mostly from Lebanese sources, US is making excuses for being present in an area without a reason. So, evacuees are good enough. Otherwise, there are NO Kurds there to create a fig leaf of “Democratic forces” fighting ISIS. Syrian Army will much sooner be in a position to clear Deir Azzor from ISIS militants — and it is actually up to Iraq and Syria to deal with defeated ISIS — definitely NOT US.

As Kurds are bogged down back in Raqqa and Hassakah — how on earth to justify being in Deir Azzor without actually fighting ISIS. Well, to say it better, how to be there without actually harming ISIS that is fighting Syrian Army every inch of
the way. While US watches on. So perhaps it makes sense to create a diversion and fight some unarmed evacuees. And some explanation for being in that part of Syria.
Syria has every right to ship evacuees to any part of its territory — US forces are not owning the land passage rights. But would like to — so the circus of attacking unarmed convoy would dp.

The problem is — the inhumane treatment of unarmed convoy with vulnerable civilians in it — has captured the imagination of the public in the area.